ORLANDO, Fla. — A new ruling by a federal judge will make it easier for Spanish-speaking Florida residents to vote in the 2020 presidential election and future elections.
Here are five things you need to know about the recent court order:
1. Who must comply?
Thirty-two counties in Florida, including Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, and Sumter, must provide Spanish language voter ballots, sample ballots, and Spanish-speaking volunteers to assist Hispanic voters who do not speak English.
The 2020 presidential election and any other future elections will comply with U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s court order.
2. What inspired the court order?
The court order comes after a lawsuit against the state of Florida filed by several Hispanic organizations who claim Spanish ballots and assistance was not provided to voters during last year’s midterm election.
3. How will counties comply?
There are several benchmarks set in the court order to ensure the counties comply. The first one is on August 1, where the Florida Security of State must file an action of compliance from all 32 counties.
4. Which materials are included?
Other materials that will be provided are voter information guides, notifications of elections, and copies of the English Election Terms Glossary in Spanish.
5. Who already has Spanish language ballots?
On April, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he directed his Department of State to address Spanish-language ballots availability.
Some counties in Florida already provide Spanish Language ballots — Orange County has provided them since 1992.